# Rclone has Improper Permission and Ownership Handling on Symlink Targets with --links and --metadata

Advisory record · `GHSA-hrxh-9w67-g4cv`

- **Identifiers:** `GHSA-hrxh-9w67-g4cv` · `BIT-rclone-2024-52522` · `CVE-2024-52522` · `GO-2024-3271`
- **State:** Confirmed
- **Severity:** CVSS 5.4 Medium
- **Critical:** No
- **Weakness (CWE):** [CWE-59](https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/59.html) · [CWE-61](https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/61.html) · [CWE-281](https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/281.html)
- **Tags:** [Path traversal](https://agentprime.io/advisories/tag/path-traversal.md) · [CWE-61](https://agentprime.io/advisories/tag/cwe-61.md) · [CWE-281](https://agentprime.io/advisories/tag/cwe-281.md)
- **Published:** 19 Nov 2024
- **Updated:** 10 Sept 2026
- **Reviewed by a person:** No

Published by the GitHub Advisory Database at 19 Nov 2024, 20:36 UTC. agentprime has not analysed this yet, so whether it affects any app is not known.

## Affected packages

- `github.com/rclone/rclone` (Go): affected `>=1.59.0, <1.68.2`; fixed in `1.68.2`

## Machine-written summary

Summary written by Claude Haiku from the source advisory. Not reviewed by a person.

> Rclone versions from 1.59.0 before 1.68.2 are vulnerable. When copying to the local disk with both --links and --metadata, rclone applies ownership and permission changes to a symlink's target instead of the symlink itself. An unprivileged user who creates a symlink to a sensitive file, such as one in /etc, can gain ownership of that file when a privileged user or process later copies the directory. Upgrade to rclone 1.68.2 or later.

Written 1 Nov 2026.

## Not analysed yet

We haven’t published our analysis of this Advisory yet. Once a person has reviewed it, this page will say what’s vulnerable, what has to be true for your app to be affected, and how to check.

## Severity and exploitation

- 5.4 Medium, CVSS 4.0: `CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:L/SI:L/SA:L`, from CNA (GitHub_M)

- **CISA KEV:** Not listed.
- **EPSS:** 0.0024, the 15th percentile, on 6 Nov 2026: FIRST’s estimate of the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

## Timeline

- 31 Oct 2026, 14:15 UTC: First seen by agentprime
- 31 Oct 2026, 14:15 UTC: [Confirmed by OSV](https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-hrxh-9w67-g4cv)

## Sources

- [GitHub Advisory Database: GHSA-hrxh-9w67-g4cv](https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-hrxh-9w67-g4cv)
- [OSV: GHSA-hrxh-9w67-g4cv](https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-hrxh-9w67-g4cv)
- <https://github.com/rclone/rclone/security/advisories/GHSA-hrxh-9w67-g4cv>
- <https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-52522>
- <https://github.com/rclone/rclone/commit/01ccf204f42b4f68541b16843292439090a2dcf0>
- <https://github.com/rclone/rclone>

Facts on this page come from the GitHub Advisory Database (CC-BY 4.0), OSV and the other sources listed, as published. We don’t reproduce full advisory descriptions, which can contain exploit code.

## Check whether this affects you

A Match means an installed version is in the affected range above. Most don’t affect the app; agentprime hasn’t analysed this one yet.

- With the agentprime MCP server (<https://api.agentprime.io/mcp>), ask your agent to check the project: `check_lockfile` sends a lockfile, `check_packages` a list of installed packages, and both return the Matches and the upgrades that clear them. `get_advisory` returns this record. Setup: <https://agentprime.io/mcp.md>
- In a browser: <https://agentprime.io/check/> reads your lockfile in the browser, never uploading it.
- Whether it touches your code, with file and line: the Claude Code plugin, <https://agentprime.io/plugin.md>
- As JSON: <https://api.agentprime.io/v1/advisories/GHSA-hrxh-9w67-g4cv>, or `POST https://api.agentprime.io/v1/match` with your packages (<https://agentprime.io/api.md>)

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The web page: <https://agentprime.io/advisories/GHSA-hrxh-9w67-g4cv/>. Everything for agents: <https://agentprime.io/llms.txt>.